The heat exchanger is a well known apparatus extensively used in thermodynamic systems as a means of conducting thermal energy into or out of the system depending on the particular system needs.
A conventional heat exchanger transfers thermal energy between two fluid loops. For example, in systems where a heat source generates waste thermal energy which must be removed from the system to prevent system failure, the waste heat is conducted away from the system to a thermal radiator. More specifically, the waste heat is usually carried away from the heat source by a first heat exchange fluid flowing in a primary fluid cooling loop. The primary fluid then transfers the waste heat to or from a second heat exchange fluid flowing in a secondary cooling loop, the heat exchange taking place in a heat exchanger. However, many types of systems utilize exotic cooling fluids or have other specialized requirements such a the need to minimize the amount of cooling fluid pumped.
A typical heat exchanger may include a helical coil through which the primary heat exchange fluid is pumped. The coil is positioned within a housing that has an inlet and an outlet positioned at opposite ends of the housing. The secondary heat exchange fluid flows through the housing and around the coil, the actual heat exchange taking place through the boundary or wall between the two circulating heat exchange fluids. The maintenance or repair of heat exchangers can be a burdensome and time consuming task when decoupling of the fluid circuits is required. For example, in gravity free space applications or computer applications, the cooling fluids used are generally incompatible with electrical components and the surrounding environment. In such cases, decoupling may require large quantities of possibly expensive and exotic fluids to be carefully drained from the system with care being taken to prevent loss, mixing, or contamination of the fluids. After the scheduled maintenance or necessary repairs to the system have been completed, the fluids must be replaced with care being taken to again avoid the aforementioned problems of loss, mixing and contamination. Thus, it will be seen that a system for decoupling fluid loops in a heat exchanger where draining is not required would provide substantial benefits.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a thermal coupler which permits two fluid loops containing heat exchange fluids to be quickly disconnected.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a thermal coupler which permits fluid loops to be disconnected without fluid loss.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a thermal coupler which permits fluid loops to be disconnected without fluid mixing between fluid loops.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an efficient thermal coupler wherein an enhanced amount of thermal energy can be transferred between the circulating fluids while minimizing surface area and weight.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a modular thermal coupler system which allows electrical and space applications to be constructed wherein heat is transferred between multiple secondary fluid loops and a single primary fluid loop.
These and other objects ar accomplished generally by providing a heat exchanger for thermally coupling a pair of discrete thermal loops, each loop adapted to carry a heat exchange fluid for transferring thermal energy between the loops. The thermal coupler includes a male member and a female member, each connected to a separate fluid circuit. The female member comprises a housing having an outer wall and including an opening defining a cavity and further defining the inner wall of the female member. A first chamber is defined by the inner and outer walls of the female member. The female member also includes spaced apart inlet and outlet means in fluid communication with the first chamber.
A male member includes a second chamber and has a second outer wall. The male member also includes second inlet means and second outlet means located in its outer wall that are in fluid communication with the second chamber. The male member is adapted to be slidably received within the cavity of the female member. The outer wall of the male member is in substantial contacting thermal energy transfer relation with the inner wall of the female member whereby thermal energy is transferred between the first and second fluid flow paths as the circulating heat exchange fluids flow through the heat exchanger.